Alarm-circuit.



PATBNTED DEG. 31, 1907.

J. F. BAS'I'EL.

ALARM CIRCUIT. APPLIoAToN FILED JUNE 2a. 1906.

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PATENT OFFICE.

JOSEPH F. BASTEL, OF ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI.

ALARM-CIRCUIT.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Dec. 31, 1907'.

Application filed Tune 28, 1906. Serial No. 323,786.

To all whom tf/nay concern: j

Be it known that I, JOSEPH F, BAsTnL, a citizen of the United States,residing at St. Louis, in the county of St. Louis City and State of'Missouri, have invented new and useful Improvements in Alarm-Circuits,of which the following is a specification.

The invention relates primarily to an alarm circuit, which is open undernormal conditions and designed to be automatically closed to sound analarm under predetermined conditions.

rlhe main object of the present invention is the utilization ofparticularly formed conductor terminals, which are normally maintainedin spaced relation and automatically brought into contact to close thecircuit and sound an alarm under predetermined conditions.

The invention will be described in the following specification,reference being had par ticularly to the accompanying drawings, inwhich:

Figure 1 is a side elevation showing my improved alarm circuit appliedto the rails of a railroad track; Fig. 2 is a perspective viewillustrating the arrangement of the circuit terminals, the main alarmcircuit being shown in diagram.

In the drawings I have illustrated the device as primarily designed forsounding an alarm in the event the rails of a railroad track shouldbecome displaced. In this form of the device the alarm circuit includesline wires 15 and 16 extending throughout the length of the track or forany desired distance and including one or more alarms and a source ofenergy, the main alarm circuit being normally open. Contacts 17 and 18are connected to the respective line wires 15 and 16 on each side olanyparticular rail joint, said contacts being secured to the rail oneach side of the joint in any appropriate or desired manner. Theseconductors which are of the usual insulated type are stripped of theirinsulation adjacent their terminals and flattened as in the preferredform to provide relatively broad contacts 19 and 20. The contacts 19 and20 are supported in proximate position through the medium of springfingers 21-21 bearing on the respective contacts and tensioned so as tonormally cause electrical engagement of said contacts. The fingers aresecured in place and the terminals of the conductors bound together byclamping strips 22 embracing said conductors and spring arms, thedepending branches of the clamp being insulated from the spring arms byinsulating blocks 23. A clamping screw 24 passes through each dependingarm of the clamp and is designed to secure the parts in 'lixed relation,as clearly shown in Fig. 2. The conductors 17 and 1S of each of therespective branch circuits are supported immediately adjacent the railterminals at any particular section of the track and are held in spacedrelation through the medium of an insulating block 25 designed to besecured to the underlying tie but formed positioned between therespective contacts 19 and 20 of each pair of conductors.

By preference a protecting sleeve 26 is arranged to encircle the exposedportions `of the conductors 17 and 18, being formed With a slot for thereception ofthe vertical portion ofthe insulating block. The sleeveforms no material part of the present invention and is primarilydesigned as a protective covering to guard the exposed portions of theauxiliary surface against deterioration by the elements.

In use should either track rail be disturbed or removed by accident ordesign from its normal gage, one or the other of the pairs of contacts19 and 2O of the auxiliary circuits Will be Withdrawn from normalposition relative to the insulating block 25 owing to the fact that saidblock is free of connection with the rails and supported solely by thetie. As the particular contacts 19 and 2O are withdrawn from normalposition relative to the insulating block, the spring arms 21 and 22operate to force said contacts into engagement with the effect to closethe main alarm circuit and sound the alarms. This particular form of thedevice contemplates the use of an alarm circuit extending for examplethroughout the length of the track and including alarms at despatchstations or any other particular location, whereby upon disturbing ofany of the track rails one or more alarms will be sounded with theeffect to enable the operator to be advised of the conditions in time toavoid accident to an approaching train.

it will be evident, resides in the forming of the terminals of ordinaryconductors to provide relatively broad contacts and disposing saidcontacts in spaced relation to normally maintain the circuit open. Inaddition to with a centrally projecting section normally The mainfeature of the present invention,'

the telephone and railway alarm circuits described the device is capableof many varied and extensive uses, as for instance in normallyseparating the contacts by an insulating material readily destroyedunder a predetermined degree of heat, so that the presence of iire willoperate to destroy-the spacing insulation and sound the alarm.

The device as a whole is exceedingly sim'- ple comprehending in itsbroad scope simply the ilattening of the conductor terminals and theprovision of means for maintaining them normally in spaced relation, asthe particular purpose to which'the auxiliary alarm is applied will initself provide `means for automatically causing engagement ofthe spacedcontacts underpredetermined conditions.

Having thusy described the invention what is claimed as new, is zl. Analarm circuit for railway `rails including conductors having spacedterminals and secured to the rails, an insulating block disposedbetweenthe contacts and secured the block, and spring arms carried bytheclamp and bearing upon the contacts.

In ,testimony whereof, I affix my signature in presence of twowitnesses.

JOSEPH E. BAS-TEL. Witnesses ANNIE A. M. ALLEN, J. HUGO GRIMM.

